Stephen J. Friedman
Born(1937-03-15)March 15, 1937
Brooklyn, New York
DiedOctober 4, 1996(1996-10-04) (aged 59)
OccupationFilm producer

Stephen Jay Friedman (March 15, 1937 – October 4, 1996) was an American film producer known for The Last Picture Show (1971) and The Big Easy (1986). In 1980, he formed Kings Road Entertainment[1]—named after the West Hollywood street where he lived—making him one of the first independent film producers to raise substantial film funding through a publicly traded company.

Early life

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Friedman graduated from Midwood High School in Brooklyn, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and then obtained a law degree at Harvard University.[2] He began his legal career with the Federal Trade Commission,[1] then went to work as an entertainment attorney for Columbia Pictures and Paramount Studios.[3]

Career

Anxious to be a producer, Friedman acquired the film rights to the 1966 novel The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry. The film was nominated for eight Oscars, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. Three years later he scripted and produced Lovin' Molly, also adapted from a McMurtry novel, and followed this with producing credits on Slap Shot (1977), Fast Break (1979), Hero at Large (1980), Little Darlings (1980), The Incubus (1981), and Eye of the Needle (1981).

Friedman's first film produced in conjunction with Kings Road Entertainment (formerly Kings Road Productions) was All of Me with Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin. Additional credits at Kings Road include The Best of Times (1986) with Robin Williams and Kurt Russell, The Big Easy (1987, nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film) with Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin, Jacknife (1989) with Robert De Niro and Ed Harris, and Kickboxer (1989) with Jean-Claude Van Damme. His final project was Mother (1995) with Diane Ladd and Olympia Dukakis.

In 1985, Kings Road Entertainment had a production pact with Tri-Star Pictures in order to distribute up to 12 pictures, after a previous contract with Universal Pictures expired.[4] Also that year, he set up a foreign office for Kings Road Entertainment in order to handle in-house productions, as well as acquisitions for the studio, and took over operations for Terry Glinwood.[5]

In 1986, it signed a television pact with ITC Entertainment to handle syndicated rights to then-upcoming theatrical motion pictures that would be handled by the studio for a multi-million dollar agreement.[6] In 1987, Kings Road Entertainment had entered into a partnership with the New Century/Vista Film Corporation, in order to handle distribution of The Big Easy and Morgan Stewart's Coming Home in a twin pack.[7]

That year, Kings Road Entertainment entered into the film distribution business in order to handle six in-house pictures and six acquisitions annually, and hired Leo Greenfield to serve as executive vice president of the studio and president of distribution, and joining Greenfield were Donald Smolen, who was senior vice president of advertising and Henry Seggerman as senior vice president of production and acquisition and the new Kings Road distribution office set up branches in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago in anticipation of the company's first pictures they are distributing.[8]

Death

Friedman died of multiple myeloma at home in Brentwood, California at the age of 59.[3]

Selected filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

Year Film Credit Notes Other notes
1971The Last Picture Show
1974Lovin' Molly
1977Slap Shot
1978Bloodbrothers
1979Fast Break
1980Hero at Large
Little Darlings
1981Eye of the Needle
The IncubusExecutive producer
1984All of Me
1985Creator
Enemy Mine
1986Touch and Go
The Big Easy
1987Morgan Stewart's Coming Home
1989Kickboxer
Uncredited
1991Kickboxer 2
1992Kickboxer 3
There Goes the Neighborhood
1994Kickboxer 4Direct-to-video
Uncredited
1995Redemption: Kickboxer 5Direct-to-video
MotherExecutive producerDirect-to-videoFinal film as a producer
As writer
Year Film
1974Lovin' Molly
Miscellaneous crew
Year Film Role Notes
1995MotherPresenterDirect-to-video
Thanks
Year Film Role
1997Mean GunsDedicated to the memory of

Television

Year Title Credit Notes
1978The President's MistressExecutive producerTelevision film

References

  1. 1 2 "Kings Road Entertainment website". Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. "Stephen Friedman, Film Producer, 59". The New York Times. October 14, 1996.
  3. 1 2 New York Times obituary, October 14, 1996
  4. "Kings Road Plans Up to 12 Pics Through 1987, 'Go' To Tri-Star". Variety. August 28, 1985. p. 4.
  5. "Kings Road Forms Own Foreign Unit; Glinwood Joins Up". Variety. December 4, 1985. p. 4.
  6. "ITC Entertainment Cuts Pact For Kings Road Pics TV Rights". Variety. December 17, 1986. p. 78.
  7. "New Century/Vista nabs Kings Road pair". Variety. January 28, 1987. p. 12.
  8. "Kings Road Entertainment Taking Distrib Route; Greenfield At Wheel". Variety. August 12, 1987. pp. 6, 33.
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